Poor Putting Could Cost Tiger Woods Chance at U.S. Open Win

Tiger Woods finally seemed to be back on track, but his short game in the third round will likely cost him the 2012 U.S. Open.

The winner of 14 major championships had not won one since the U.S. Open in 2008. Fans have been waiting for Woods to return to his dominant form but there seemed to be a setback every time he was close.

This year, the golfer was finally finding success. With two wins early in the season, Woods became a favorite for the Open. He then performed well on the national stage, shooting a stroke under par after two rounds of the championship.

Unfortunately, things once again fell apart and he is now six strokes off the lead after a third-round 75. As has been the case in recent years, his putting is what let him down.

Off the tee, Woods was as good as ever. On a difficult course like the one at Olympic Club, accuracy is the most important thing. The golfer passed that test by hitting two-thirds of his fairways, tied for third most in the tournament.

He remained consistent on the fairways, getting to the green in regulation on 36 of his 54 holes. However, his approaches were far from the hole and he could not make up for it with his putting.

Woods did not make good reads on the greens and he could not finish even when he did. He had numerous chances for birdie but could only capitalize on one. 

Instead of looking like one of the best golfers of all time, he looked like a 17-year-old amateur trying to show he belonged. Meanwhile, that amateur, Beau Hossler, leads the veteran by one stroke going into the final day.

The deficit on Sunday might be insurmountable. Woods needs to fix this problem before it hurts him in the future. If he can regain focus on the green and perform as well as he did in the rest of his game, he will be well on his way to his 15th career major title.